I recall the first time quite clearly: there was a strange, almost neon-orange stain on my favorite gray hand towel. It didn’t look like a normal stain; it had a strange glow that made it look if someone had used a highlighter on it. I thought it might be rust from the towel bar or something I spilled and forgot about. I was sure it would come out once I put it in the wash with more soap. No, it didn’t.
Weeks later, more towels fell victim. It seemed like a ghost made of pumpkin spice had broken into my bathroom. You are not hallucinating things if you have seen towels, pillows, or shirts with hard-to-get-rid-of orange streaks. The people who did it are fairly common.
1. The main problem is benzoyl peroxide.
The main reason is that benzoyl peroxide is a prevalent element in acne treatments and face washes. It doesn’t leave stains as other items do. Instead, it makes the color in the fabric fade, leaving a patch that is orange or yellow. The contrast is even more obvious on dark towels.
You can’t get the color back into the fibers after it’s gone. Scrubbing or soaking won’t help. I had a “aha” moment when I saw that the marks on the towel matched where my hands and face had touched it after I washed up at night. Even brief interactions accumulate over time.
2. Water with iron and rust in it.
Makeup doesn’t always leave orange traces on the skin. If your water has a lot of iron in it, like well water, it might leave rusty stains on clothes. When I went to see a buddy in the country, I found out the truth. My white towel has a lot of small orange streaks on it after two washes.
It wasn’t extra detergent; it was a laundry item that removes rust. It adheres to the iron before it settles into the fabric.
3. Hair and self-tanners
Some self-tanners and hair products leave orange or brown stains on skin or hair that won’t come off, even when they’re “dry.” The pigments come out on the towels when you dry them. What is my hint? My hair towels have small orange stains on them, even though I’ve never used self-tanner. The pigment in my “warmth-enhancing” shampoo was precisely right to cause the damage.
4. Cleaning Products That Bleach:
Bleach and hydrogen peroxide aren’t simply for washing clothes. You can also find them in disinfection wipes, toilet cleansers, and surface sprays. You might accidentally leave bleach markings on a towel after using them.
A friend felt that her washing machine was turning her towels pink. In fact, she was using spray to disinfect her hands before drying them.
How do I stop it now?
After I found out what was wrong, I treated towels like expensive clothes:
If you use white towels to clean your face, the benzoyl peroxide stains won’t show.
Wait for things to dry, especially self-tanner and acne medications.
Use filtered water or rust remover to keep mineral stains from setting.
Use a different towel for your hair because old towels take up color from shampoos and dyes.
Can you fix what’s broken?
If you used bleach or benzoyl peroxide to make the mark, it will last forever. You can choose from these:
Change the color of the whole towel to a darker one.
Use it again to dry off or clean your hair.
Bleach the towel to make it seem the same all over.
Rust stains are tougher to get rid of, but you can use rust removers that are safe for fabric.
This strategy has helped me preserve a couple pillowcases.
Noticing the Difference
Chemical bleaching produces big, uneven blotches appear when you touch your hands or cheeks.
Small, dispersed spots are what mineral staining looks like.
Once you know how to read the “pattern,” you can find the source and stop blaming a strange laundry curse.
Last Thoughts
I still get stains, but I don’t lose as many towels as I used to. I sometimes forget that I have acne cream on sometimes. Now I only lose one or two a year. If your linens are becoming orange, check the quality of your water, hair care, and skin care. Find out what’s causing the problem and keep an eye on the “danger zones” to make sure your towels stay fresh for a long time.
